Breast-cutting open-ditch excavator.



M. G. BUNNELL. BREAST CUTTING OPEN DITCH EXCAVATOR. APPLICATION FILED MAY 12. 1913.

1,175,92; Patented Mar. 21,1916.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

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M. G. BUNNELL.

BREAST CUWTTING' OPEN DITCH EXCAVATOFL,

APPUCATION FILED MAY 12. l9l3.

2 sHEETs sHEET 2.

Patented Mar. 21, 1916.

rerun MORTON G. BUNNELL, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR T0 FREDERICK C. AUSTIN, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Mar. 21, 1916.

Application filed May 12, 1913. Serial No. 766,986.

To all "whom, it may concern Be it known that I, Mon'rox G. a citizen of the United States of America, and resident of Chicago, Cook county, Illinois, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Breast-Cutting Open- Ditch Excavators, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to excavators in general, but more particularly to excavating machines of that kind in which the excavating apparatus operates transversely of the ditch, and especially those in which means are provided for cutting away the dirt on the breast of the ditch, as well as at the opposite sides thereof, whereby it is not necessary to raise and lower the excavating apparatus during the forward progress of the ditch.

Gene fally stated, the object of my invention isto provide a novel and highly eiii-' cient hast cutting open ditch excavator of the foregoing general character.

The special objects are to provide a novel and improved construction whereby the excavating apparatus not only works on the. breast of the ditch, cutting away the dirt thereon as the machine travels forward, but also cuts away the dirt at opposite sides of the ditch, thereby insuring a sloping bank at each side thereof, as the machine travels along; to provide a novel and effective construction and arrangement whereby the breast cutting devices are separate and dis tinct from the means for taking up and carrying away the dirt, the said means consisting of an endless series of buckets traveling on the runway, the latter extending transversely of the ditch, and serving to determine the cross sectional contour thereof; and toprovide certain details and features BUNNELL,

of construction and combinations tending to increase the general efficiency and serviceability of a breast cutting open ditch excavator of this particular character.

To the foregoing and other useful ends, my invention consists in matters hereinafter set forth and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings,-Figure 1, is a front elevation of an excavator embodying the principles of my invention. Fig. 2, is an enlarged front elevation of the breast cutting knives shown in Fig. 1, showing the runway and the buckets thereof, as

well as the breast cutting wheel, in dotted lines. Fig. 8, is a side elevation of the parts shown in Fig. 2, showing the runway in vertical section, and illustrating the manner in which the wheel operates on the breast of the ditch. Fig. 4, is an enlarged detail section on line 4-4 in Fig. 2.

As thus illustrated, my invention comprises a wheel I of a size to sink entirely into the ditch, having cutters 2' on the working face thereof and the sloping banks of the ditch are made by the swinging knives J, whereby a ditch of the required character is produced, notwithstanding the comparatively small diameter of the wheel. The said knives are disposed at opposite sides of the wheel, and are provided with shanks or stems 7', which are in turn secured to the plate or support K, which latter is disposed at the top of the wheel. This plate K swings about an axis is mounted in any suitable manner, and is provided with a radial slot U, which latter is engaged by a crank pin if, carried by the crank M, which latter is operated in any suitable manner. The shanks or stems j are suitably mounted in sleeves j secured to the plate K, and are held in such manner that each stem is capable of sullicient oscillation to permit the blades J, which are double edged to operate first in one direction and tlr'n in the other. In other words, each blade turns at an angle to cut the dirt on the breast of the ditch, when the plate K swings in one direction, and when the said plate reverses its motion and starts in the opposite direction each blade then turns at an angle to bring the opposite cutting edge thereof into use. Thus the said knives J are operated to cut the dirt away at each side of the wheel, as the machine is .slowly moved forward.

The cooperation of the wheel I and the knives J results in the formation of a ditch having a rounded bottom and sloping sides. In this case, however, the slope of the sides is determined, more or less, by the runway L which is disposed back of the wheel I, and which may be of any suitable construction. Buckets M are arranged to travel on said runway, whereby the dirt is taken up and carried away. \Vith this arrangement, the buckets do not work on the breast of the ditch, as the wheel I and the knives J are ahead of the buckets, and thus the latter simply work on th'fc sidesiaih ditch. It will be seen that the said knives J swing back and forth immediately behind tlie wheek'I; thus -s11era-11 g":-oi-t the corners or overhang of the ditch, and causing the latter to have flat and sloping sides. These sides are afterward smoothed,"andrendered perfectlyfiat, by the buckets M, which travel arou-nd the triang-ula i" shaped run'wz'iy L,

unwavwlu; and the excavating appa ,tus: ;an( swim- 100s::Cuiiritd thereby, can be raisedand lo fl'ered byanyisuitable means, suclpa's the pulley and cable arrangement 0 shown {in Fi l or -in' any, desired manner. The body.Nzis preferably mounted, on cater pillars '17; or-:on=,.-otherj suitable traction de vie vhe'rebye,;n-1a=cl1inefiis adapted to travel pa wallelflvith Zthe :ditch at one side thereof, and with the runway and excavating iapparatus: in position to move forward andf-fornnthe (lltCh/JWlthQllt being raised,

out ofithegrjound. The dirt taken up by the buckets may-be carried away in any suitable mann'er,---as:by the apronsor conveyors P ill'lCl51O. whereliy aspoil banklis formed at one side, of theditch. behind the machine, or bymeansofvwhich the excavated dirt may-vibe loaded-into,wagons and carried away;v h v The whecllhais atunneling action, inasmuch=as it bores a roundholein the ground, and. if .not,,combined with other elements would not make a ditch whenthe runway is lowered toiffullworking depth. 1 Of course, and should the said runway be lowered only to an extent suflicientto bring the axis of saidavheelto the surface of the ground, then la ditch would .be cut by thewheel alone; but witlrthe di'ameterwof. the wheel substantially the sameaas themaximum depth desired for the ditch,- the: said wheel is notcapable of-cutting a trench suitable for this purpose. It is for this reason, therefore, "that the. knives J are arranged to cut away the overhangof the'tunnel, practically as fast as the round hole or tunnel is formed, 0 andthis operation is of such character that the overhang is cut away for some distance back from the sides of the round hole or tunnel, thereby sloping the sides of the ditch approximatelyain accordancewith the angles 5 of the side-portions 'of the' runway. \Vhen )Ottlll of the the buckets behind the' ikniv the latter being pivoted at lggtpatlle brackets:

Any; suitable 'power beeniployed for of thetunne'lingwheeh struction shown and :described;

-ditch, provided with n'i ansfor 1 adjacent the wheel for'takingnp theizdirt,

. .J'a r t j forward this operation serves to cut away the upper-and lower ridges left by the aid knives, whereby tlie sides ot' 'tlieditch-are rendered smooth or flat, in the manner illus- 7O trated. In one sense, therefore, the general operation of making the ditch involves primarilv a tunneling operation followed very closely by the cutting away of the o\ eriirn z: to convert the. tumiel anto a ditch suitable for drainage purposes, the sides or banks belng given the angle ofrcpose r, b m

I do not limit; myself to \Vhat I claim asymyrfinventio:

1. A breast cuttingopen.d-itchaexcav i comprising a wheel arranged to rotate-abet an axis extending loi-igitudinallymo tutti] dirt away on the breast otamia ianmupand-down movable s1=1ppor=t a for sard-=whee traveling devices adjacent: fthe :wh for, taking upthe dirt,'mechanismfifo'r Rlr ving-v the wheel. means for moving the ,whet ahead in the directionef thevaxis' thereo means for, operating i on. the breast: tlth ditch at each side ;of sa'idwheel t-o'Es ,z-tl-i banks in accordance with the angles of op eration of said devices; I 4 f. in a e 9. A breast cutting open ditch excavator-1 comprising a wheel mounted tou'ota teaabout: an axis extending longitudinally60f ."sthe dirt awayon the breast of -tl1ewditch.-de ac es w mechanism for driving the whee mea'ns for moving the wheel ahead .lIifthQ dlItCtiOH-Of the axis thereof, swinging knives for-" cvitfi 05 ting dirt from the breastfof the "ditclr'at" each side of said wheel. andrmeans -forrop erating said knives back and forth. ":1

3. A breast cutting open ditch excavator: coinprising a wheel mounted to rot'ate 'about- 1 an axis extending longitudinally of the" ditch, provided with means for cutting t'he I dirt away on the breast ofzthe-ditch,-- de-fi vices adjacent the wheel for takingnpi-the dirt, mechanism for drivin the"wheel, 1'5

b v '1 means for moving the wheel ahead v1n the-dr' i rection of the axis thereof, and knives for cutting. away the dirt'at each side ofth l wheel, each knife being double"edgedirand self adjusting to antomaticallybringthiizo two edges alternately into use. 4. A breast cutting open ditch-excavator comprising-a wheelarranged to rotate bout an axis extending longitudinallymof?ith e ditch, provided witlrmean's 'for-cutting thedirt away on the breast of th'editch: an up'- and-down movable support forsaidwhel, traveling devices adjacent the "wheel f'or tales, ing up the dirt, mechanism for "drivingth'e wheel, means for moving the wheel -ahead 'lso ditch, provided with means-for.-cnt'ti ng: the 'jag I trally thereof, having means for cutting away the dirt on the breast of the ditch, means for driving the said wheel, and means for crowding the wheel forward in the direction of the axis thereof, a runway be hind said wheel, serving to determine the cross sectional contour of the ditch, means on said runway for carrying away the dirt, and means for operating on the breast of the ditch at each side of said wheel.

6. A breast cutting open ditch excavator comprising a runway extending across the path of the ditch, and movable up and down in the ditch, means on the runway for cutting a section of ditch with sloping sides,

as the runway moves downward, means traveling on the ground surface for moving the excavator along after the said runway reaches the desired depth for the ditch, devices for operating on the breast of the ditch while the excavator moves forward, said devices including a wheel provided with cutters, and other cutters operating at each side of said wheel.

7. A breast cutting open ditch excavator comprising a runway extending across the path of the ditch, and movable up and down in the ditch, means on the runway forcutting a section of ditch with sloping sides, as the runway moves downward, means traveling on the ground surface for movingthe excavator along after the said runway reaches the desired depth for the ditch, de-

vices for operating on the breast of the ditch while the excavator moves forward, said devices including a cutting wheel supported by said runway, and cutters for sloping the banks at each side of said wheel.

8. A breast cutting open ditch excavator comprising a runway extending across the path of the ditch,.and movable up and down in the ditch,'means on'therunway for cutting a section of ditch with sloping sides, as

the runwaymoves downward, means traveling on. the ground ,surfacefor moving the excavator. along after the said runway reaches the. desired depth for the ditch, devices for operatingionthe breast of the ditch while thgjg; excavator moves forward, I said devices including a tunneling wheel, and means for cutting away the overhan'glof the tunnel in rear of said wheel.

9. An excavator comprising a tunneling wheel, means operating in conjunction therewith for cutting away the overhang of the tunnel in rear of said wheel, thereby to shape the sides and convert the tunnel into a ditch, and an up-and-down movable support for 'sa-id wheel and means.

10. An excavator comprising a tunneling wheel, means in 1 conjunction therewith for cutting away the overhang of the tunnel in rear of said wheel, to convert the tunnel into a ditch, said means operating to slope the sides of the ditch, and devices for taking up the dirt and smoothing the sides of the ditch behind said means.

11. An excavator comprising a tunneling wheel, means in conjunction therewith for cutting away the overhang of the tunnel in rear of said wheel, to convert the tunnel into a ditch, and devices for taking up the dirt behind said means.

Signed by me 'at Chicago, Illinois, this 30 day of April, 1913.

- MORTON G. BUN NELL. "Witnesses HELEN V. MUNSON, E. H. CLEGG. 

